Thursday, January 12, 2012

As we reported three days ago, the Mets put much maligned outfielder Fernando Martinez on waivers, and yesterday FMart was quickly scooped up by the dreadful Houston Astros.

Martinez, who seems to have been around for a dozen years, is actually 23 years old, and has had a very underwhelming career that has been marred by injuries.

When Omar Minaya signed the 16 year old Martinez on July 11, 2005, it was heralded as a tremendous signing. Martinez was alleged to have power, speed, arm, and good baseball instincts. Unfortunately, none of this has proven true. Martinez has been an oft injured huge disappointment. I have likened Martinez to another Mets "can't miss" prospect, Alex Escobar.

Astros GM Jeff Lunhow says about FMart:

"I have been scouting [Martinez] since he was 16 years old before he signed with the Mets as a free agent from the Dominican and watched him extensively over the years,. I was always interested in him, and our scouts here liked him. I was at the Caribbean Series a few years back when he was the MVP.

"The kid has some big league tools and he's very young, and I think a change of scenery may be exactly what he needs to blossom into full potential. For a club like ourselves who could take a chance on something like this, it makes sense."

It's a shame the FMart experiment didn't work out, but his fragile body and arthritic knee greatly hindered him. A change of scenery might be exactly what is needed for the "young" outfielder, but the Mets releasing him is a move that should have happened three years ago.

This is yet another move by Elvis to erase the deals and transactions that his predecessor made; making a break from the Mets recent past. Fortunately, unlike Reyes, this move cannot be argued. It needed to be done.